PepperAlley

Bay Area band The Limousines write songs about wasting time and their lazy lives -- all tongue in cheek and full of whimsy. Today's Top Tune is "Internet Killed the Video Star" from Get Sharp.

New Zealand's Crowded House have only released six studio albums in their 25-year career. Each recording spotlights Neil Finn's meticulous ear for lyrical detail and his gift for melody. Their new release, Intriguer, is no different and features Today's Top Tune "Either Side of the World".

Matthew Dear is a DJ, a dance-music producer, an experimental pop artist, a bandleader and a man of many aliases. His Black City release inhabits the shadowy side of urban life and includes Today's Top Tune "Soil To Seed".

Jenny Lewis (Rilo Kiley) and Johnathan Rice are a powerful couple ? musically and romantically. They?re both gifted songwriters and have finally collaborated on a project simply called Jenny & Johnny. Their debut features them playing just about every instrument and singing close harmonies. Today's Top Tune is "Just Like Zeus."

Co-conspirators Eleanore Everdell and Jason Friedman are The Hundred In The Hands, a Brooklyn-based duo that have just completed their full length debut. Their songs embrace the duality between electronic and organic sounds cocooned in pop music. Today's Top Tune is called "Commotion."

Sao Paulo's Garotas Suecas are strongly influenced by the psychedelic sound emanating from Brazil in the late 60's, American soul and garage rock. They have a style uniquely their own and are sure to make you dance. Today's Top Tune is "Banho de Bucha".

TV on the Radio?s Dave Sitek is channeling his talents as a multi-instrumentalist and producer into his new project Maximum Balloon. He also invites an incredible array of singers ? Karen O, Little Dragon?s Yukimi Nagano, and David Byrne -- to name a few. Today?s Top Tune features his TV on the Radio bandmate Tunde Adebimpe on ?Absence of Light.?

At 70, soul and gospel legend Mavis Staples is still going strong. She enlisted fellow Chicagoan, Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy, as the producer for her upcoming release. He penned a couple of songs just for her, and one of them is the title track and Today's Top Tune, "You Are Not Alone."

The third release from The Budos Band unleashes their mind-bending cocktail of blaring horns, infectious rhythms and afro-soul. The new album, The Budos Band III, is a great soundtrack for summer, Today's Top Tune is the stirring "Rite of the Ancients."

Former Belle & Sebastian vocalist Isobel Campbell teams up with Screaming Trees singer Mark Lanegan for a stirring new release. Today's Top Tune highlights the duo's mellifluous and sultry sound with "Come Undone".

Mexico City's Madame Recamier may be named after a famous painting dating back to 1800, but the artist is anything but ancient...

It's not unusual to think of Tom Jones as a sexy singer, crooning as women throw their panties at him. His latest release, Praise & Blame, defies that idea...

It is a treat to offer music from one of KCRW's favorite songwriters, Ray LaMontagne, whose latest recording is God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise.

Today's Top Tune comes to us all the way from Ghana and Togo and travels through time! A new collection of West African songs have been put together reflecting organ-driven Afro-Beat spanning 1972 through 1978 -- a time that fused Afro-American funk and jazz with local rhythms. Today's Top Tune is performed by Uppers International and is titled "Dankasa."

L.A. based singer Lucy Schwartz had her big break recently when her track was included in the film Shrek Forever After. Since then, she has worked with John Doe (of X fame) for the upcoming Parenthood soundtrack and just put the finishing touches on her full length recording, produced by Mitchell Froom. Today?s Top Tune is a preview of what?s to come with ?Rain City.?

Chapel Hill collective Lost In The Trees combine classical and folk music with ease. The unlikely pairing weaves symphonic elements with poetic lyrics on their new release, All Alone in an Empty House. Today's Top Tune is one of the saddest yet most beautiful songs I've heard in a long time, it's "Song For The Painter".

Here's a classic Gorillaz song turned on its head. Rhythms Del Mundo add a Latin flare to "Feel Good Inc" as Today's Top Tune.

Ukrainian singer Lana Mir, left her homeland (and her fanbase) to pursue her dream in the Big Apple. Once there, she teamed up with Ivy's Andy Chase who produced her debut, Goodbye Girl EP, a mix of jazzy downtempo tracks. Today's Top Tune is "I Wanna Be Adored".

La Bien Querida is the moniker for Ana Fernandez-Villaverde, a Spanish artist that is relatively new on the music circuit. She's a confessional songwriter and her U.S. full length debut is a collection of mellow songs that could be Spain's answer to Suzanne Vega. Today's Top Tune is "De Momento Abril."

Wait. Think. Fast. bring together the sounds of two of L.A.'s burgeoning music communities - East Side indie rock and Latin Alternative - for a singular new style. Today's Top Tune features Tijuana's Ceci Bastida on "Leymah Contra Los Diablos".